Susan Mildred Keister

The funeral of Susie Keister will be held on Saturday, September 20. Visitation will be from 9am-11am, and the service will be held at 11am, at Emmaus Road Reformed Church at 6817 Antrim Road, Edina, MN 55439.

Susan Hencle Keister was born in Long Island, NY on December 3rd, 1938. She moved to Baldwinsville, NY, where she grew up in the "house on the corner" with memories of unheated, snow-covered bedrooms and outhouses. When she was in the 6th grade, she moved into her Grandma's house, which became the raspberry farm. It was at this time that she first met and rather disliked JC.

After graduating from high school in 1956, she attended and later graduated from Cortland University, where she studied PE. JC, who was attending Cornell University at the time, asked her out on a date, to which she responded, "Can't Mary-Lou go?" They were married June 18, 1960.

Upon moving to Washington, DC where JC pursued his PhD, they both became Christians, which changed their lives completely. They moved to Lookout Mountain, TN, where JC taught at Covenant College and Susie taught PE at Covenant, worked at the Pro Sew Shop, and raised Arne and Alynn. In 1978, JC and Susie had twin boys-Lane and Adrian. They moved to the Dallas/Ft. Worth area in 1984 where Susie started homeschooling the boys.

In 1992, JC, Susie, and the boys moved to Lakeville, MN where she completed the boys' schooling. They were always regular members of a church where they faithfully served. In 2011, they became part of the Emmaus Road Church family where they have been ever since.

Susie passed away just after 9am on Friday, September 12, 2025, from either a heart attack or stroke. The family is very grateful for the blessings of God in both life and death, as she was spared the suffering and difficulty of a prolonged sickness. We rejoice as she is now in the presence of Jesus and can mourn her loss with hope of the resurrection.

She is survived by her husband, JC Keister, her children: Arne (Debbie), Alynn (Tom), Lane (Sarah), Adrian (Susan), 18 grandchildren, and 10 great-grandchildren; her sister - Carol Merrell; and her brothers and sisters-in-law: Windsor, Jeff and Holly Crandell, and Brad and Katie Keister.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to Emmaus Road for missions.